Police uncover secret graves in Benue

The Police in Benue have uncovered secret graves in the Kastina-Ala Local Government Area of the state.

Our correspondent reports that similar discoveries occurred in Zaki Biam town in Ukum Local Government Area of the state in October 2019, barely three weeks after police first unearthed the mass graves of many people killed and buried by suspected ritualists in the Ushongo Local Government Area.

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The latest discovery followed the arrest of two criminal suspects allegedly loyal to Azonto, the second in command of late gangster, Terwase Akwaza, popularly known as ‘Gana’.

Witnesses gave the names of the duo as Aondoaseer Terseer referred to as Bob Tsetse, 23, and Orkashima David, 22, popularly called ‘Cash money.’

The witnesses said the two were among those who over the years terrorised the communities of Mbamon, Tavachan, Michiche Council ward among others in Katsina-Ala LGA but fled the vicinity when security operatives began to close-up on them.

Council chairman of Kastina-Ala, Alfred Atera, told our correspondent by telephone that the two suspects were arrested in Illesa in Osun State and brought back to Benue.

Atera said that the suspects, on Monday, led operatives and the local government officials to scene of the atrocities committed in Kastina-Ala.

“They (suspects) confessed to having killed nine people.

“They led us to where they buried four people in a dry well; another two in a shallow grave and where they buried their wives.

“They were fetched from Illesa where they fled after committing atrocities in Benue.

“They were brought in yesterday (Monday) by Operation Zenda led by CSP Gberindyer,” the council chairman said.

Other witnesses told Daily Trust that the two suspects, secondary school drop-outs, are members of a 10-man criminal syndicate that led security operatives to the place where they found six decomposed human bodies, including three males and three females, among them their wives who they eliminated between January and April 2021 respectively.

The witnesses also listed the names of the some of the dead persons exhumed from the dry wells as John Nyitamen, Catherine Akiishi and Aondover Fidelis.

It was gathered that the suspects confessed to have killed their wives with one of the duo, Bob Tsetse, narrating that his wife died after a wood he threw at her pierced her neck mistakenly during a quarrel while the other, Cash money, explained that his father instigated him to kill his wife because she was plotting to set his house ablaze.

Cash money confessed to having got rid of his wife with the help of his two other gang members who also assisted him to bury the woman in a shallow grave.

It was learnt that the suspects mentioned the names of their accomplices just as they claimed that four of the gang members have been eliminated.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the development but said she was yet to get details of the matter as the operatives were still at the scene of the crime.